Chelsea Transfer News: Blues Cannot Lose David Luiz This Summer

The Daily Mirror's Darren Lewis reported Paris Saint-Germain have the Brazilian defender on their shopping list:

Chelsea defender David Luiz is the latest Premier League star targeted by Paris Saint-Germain.

The £25million defender is a top target for French champions PSG, who want to pair him with another Brazil international, Thiago Silva, at the heart of their defence.

The pair are set to play together at the Conferations Cup this weekend—hosts Brazil face Japan in the opening match on Saturday night.

Silva is understood to be convinced that an effective partnership between them could help their country's chances at the World Cup they will stage next summer.

Luiz has even gone on record commending PSG. In an interview with TF1 via ESPN.co.uk, he said the following:

I speak about Paris Saint-Germain and its project with my Brazilian team-mates. The club has done some good work in Ligue 1, and there are some very good players such as Lucas Moura, Thiago Motta, Maxwell, Thiago Silva.

Of course, that isn't even the first time Luiz has been coy about a summer move. In an interview with the Daily Star's Paul Brown, he shared these thoughts:

My objective is to be happy and this is possible playing always in a team that controls the ball.

Barcelona is the team that has developed the best football in the last few years. I know Barca were interested in my services in the past but now I do not have any news.

Problems with the Spanish language? No. I speak Spanish.

Luiz has become a key player at Chelsea. He's far and away the best centre-back on the squad and is likely already being groomed to become the next captain after Frank Lampard, John Terry and Petr Cech move away from the first team in the coming years.

Selling Luiz now for almost any price would be a massive mistake.

Defending has sometimes been an issue with Luiz, but when he goes forward, there are few centre-backs better than he is. He's so good on the ball, picking out teammates 30 or 40 yards away on the pitch or having a long-range effort on goal.

And it's not as if Luiz is such a poor defender that he has no future at the position. He can be a world-class centre-back for years to come.

It's a testament to his talent that defensive midfielder might actually be the optimal position for Luiz. Should that happen, he could provide the kind of ball-winner the Blues need at the moment, especially with The Guardian's Dominic Fifield reporting about Galatasaray's interest in John Obi Mikel.

If Mikel leaves, that would mean Michael Essien is the only viable CDM in the squad for Jose Mourinho.

The Barcelona rumors are a bit unlikely because the club will find it hard to find the necessary funds to purchase Luiz after buying Neymar. Barca don't have an unlimited budget and will have to sell off players in order to afford a Luiz transfer.

With PSG, the move is much more realistic. The quotes from Luiz aren't necessarily a plea for the French club to make a bid, but as a supporter, you'd probably like the centre-back to just keep quiet when asked about other clubs.

When you think about it, though, Luiz has everything he could possibly want at Chelsea.

The club can give him massive wages—even more than he already makes. That's the one advantage that PSG might have. With that neutralized, there is little reason to move to the French champions.

Chelsea won the Champions League and Europa League in consecutive seasons, so there's no reason for him to leave for sporting reasons, either.

Plus, the Blues have built themselves a nice core of Brazilian players with Luiz, Oscar, Ramires, Lucas Piazon and Wallace. Luiz can feel right at home at Stamford Bridge.

That doesn't mean Chelsea shouldn't do everything in their power to keep Luiz happy. The club could go out and buy another player, but there are so few who could replace the talent that Luiz possesses and the larger role that he has and will have in the club going forward.